An earthquake struck the Iranian capital Tehran late Tuesday night, triggering tremors across surrounding areas, although no casualties or major damage were immediately reported.
An earthquake struck Tehran late Tuesday night, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS reported that the earthquake measured 4.3 in magnitude and occurred at about 11:46 p.m. local time.
Iranian state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), however, placed the magnitude at 4.6, stating that the quake struck east of the capital around the Pardis area at a depth of approximately 10 kilometres.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, injuries or major structural damage following the tremor.
According to IRIB, the earthquake was also felt in Karaj, a suburb located about 40 kilometres west of Tehran.
Iran is regarded as one of the world’s most seismically active countries due to its location along the convergence zone of the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates.
The country experiences frequent earthquakes, many of them destructive, largely because of shallow epicentres and vulnerable infrastructure in several regions.
Among the deadliest earthquakes in Iran’s history was the 1990 Rudbar-Tarom earthquake, which measured 7.4 in magnitude and killed more than 40,000 people.
Another devastating incident was the 2003 Bam earthquake, which recorded a magnitude of 6.6 and claimed more than 26,000 lives while causing widespread destruction.
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